Reddit had an interesting piece a few weeks ago. A woman asks if she is overreacting. Her boyfriend wants a baby with her, but doesn’t want to marry her. We uncovered some interesting wedding insights that might affect her thinking.
Let’s take a deeper dive into her situation first. A woman writes:
“I am 30 and he just turned 31. He says he loves me but I honestly feel like a placeholder. Recently he complained that all his female friends are having babies with their partners even if their partners are not financially stable and they’re not in “perfect places”…
Then he said … I should be open to having a baby with him because I have a house, I have flexibility at my job for pregnancy right now, and he finally has a full time job (he does make more than me).
I was like what? These women are married to their partners. I do not want to just have a baby out of wedlock. When I pushed back he said my standards are too high because I want an engagement ring, a real wedding, and a honeymoon. His excuse is that his rent is a lot, he is still making strides in his career, and he has a lot of student loans.”
She wants marriage. He doesn’t.
Even more, he wants a baby without the commitment of a wedding or marriage.
Readers of this blog will react to this couple’s standoff through the prism of their individual moral code.
We will simply offer some wedding insights based on research.
For example, the General Social Survey discovered that 40 percent of married women with children were VERY happy compared to just 17 percent of unmarried women with children.
Results for men were somewhat similar: 35% of married men with children are very happy compared to just 12% of unmarried men with children.
Commitment matters.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics offers research that shows that children fare much, much better when raised by married biological parents compared to other family structures regardless of the benchmark. (See chart below.)
For a specific example, let’s say the benchmark is for a child to graduate from high school with a GPA of a minimum of 2.5 while avoiding a criminal record or becoming a parent.
66% meet or exceed these benchmarks with married parents.
Only 42% on meet/exceed the benchmarks if the mother is married only part of the child’s upbringing; and only 28% hit the benchmarks if the mother is never-married.
These wedding insights make the case for marriage. Women and men are both happier in a married family structure according to practically every study around. And their children are happier and healthier in the short and longterm.
Convinced? Then let’s start planning YOUR wedding! And every wedding celebration depends on the entertainment for the fun. That’s where Columbus Pro DJs comes in for Columbus weddings. Where to start? Check our availability today.
